The current status of the agricultural sciences core curricula in Italian university faculties of agriculture

In Italian University Faculties of Agriculture the 1st cycle of studies concerns a BSc. degree offering completed application-oriented studies ensuring employability or an intermediate pivot-point degree towards an integrated MSc. In each first cycle program of studies offered by the Faculties of Agriculture a core curriculum exists and has the scope of providing students with a basic cultural background, common to every program of studies. In Italy the Faculties of Agriculture offer Agricultural Engineering programs of studies and no specialisation both for the 1st and the 2nd cycles of studies. Students can achieve the degree in Agricultural Sciences with a Agricultural Engineering specialisation, although until now no degree fulfils the requirements of FEANI for Engineers. It is possible to create a flexible new Agricultural Engineering 1st cycle program of studies to be implemented in the future, by adopting part of the core curriculum proposed by FEANI program. The learning outcomes and contents in Agricultural / Biological Sciences not covered by the core curriculum proposed by FEANI program of studies in the above new virtual program are defined in terms of courses, that could be included in the Agricultural Sciences part of the specialisations or as electives

Agricultural Engineering programmes meeting the FEANI and EurAgEng criteria in Italy

The only administrative change which took place in Italian institutions from the status described in the 1st Workshop, in the framework of Bologna process, is the updating of 3+2 years University study programmes. According to the ECTS credit system used in Italian institutions, the total student workload in one year is 60 CFU, which are considered equivalent to 60 ECTS; each CFU represents 25 hours of learning, both as aided learning and as individual studies. The 1st cycle degree study programme (\u201cLaurea\u201d) consists of 180 ECTS, while the 2nd cycle one (\u201cLaurea Magistrale\u201d) is constituted by 120 ECTS. No adjustment, alteration or difference concerning the quality assurance scheme used in Italy happened since the 5th USAEE Workshop. At present the Faculties of Agriculture of the Universities of Molise, Palermo, Sassari and Viterbo offer 1st cycle degree programmes of studies with titles related to Agricultural Engineering. Moreover, nowadays the Universities of Bari, Molise, Sassari and Viterbo offer 2nd cycle Agricultural Engineering degree study programmes. A proposal of virtual 1st and 2nd cycle study programmes, meeting the FEANI and EurAgEng criteria, the Italian cultural requirements and the criteria of the national University system, is shown in terms of course categories and ECTS credits

Tools for quality assurance and assessment of Agricultural Engineering programmes, TUNING subject-area lines and disappearing/rare knowledge in Italy

The quality assurance process applied by Italian State University institutions, in order to achieve some level of internal quality control or assessment for the offered study programmes, is established in the funding criteria of the Ordinary Financing Fund (FFO), decided by the National Committee for the Evaluation of the University System (CNVSU). In most Italian Universities the quality assurance and assessment procedure of the study programmes starts with a report, written by a specific committee, that carries out an internal assessment, by which the strong and weak points of the study programme and the related causes are focused. The quality assurance and assessment procedure appoints three autonomous and independent assessors, who have the task of carrying out an external assessment of the degree study programmes and publishing an evaluation report. In Italian Universities the Faculty Assembly holds the tasks of: setting the education and research objectives and evaluating the success in satisfying them; providing, monitoring and enhancing the intellectual and material resources; demonstrating high standards to external assessors and taking into account their reports; co-operating with representatives of professional bodies for carrying out the examination for accessing the professional activity; planning new programme specifications; monitoring student career progression. The Degree Study Programme Assembly holds the task of approving the study programmes of individual students. Moreover, in Italy the Ministry of Education, University and Research, the region administration and the University academic bodies hold the responsibility of: overseeing academic quality and standards; managing the University education and research strategy; overseeing the development and management of quality assurance procedures; approving Faculty recommendations related to the proposal of new study programmes and/or the discontinuation of existing ones. In Italy the Standard Assessment procedure for students is based on the following principles: students can take an examination for a specific course as many times as they wish; examiners and assessors are appointed by the Faculty Dean, while a specific committee is responsible for University examinations; students are finally examined for their thesis by a Faculty committee. Italian Universities offer a Code of Practice for education and research, which is included in several laws and decrees, that set out the guidelines which must be followed in managing a study programme and designing the related courses. In Italy the typical degree profiles in Agricultural/Biosystems Engineering, for the three study levels, are offered by five University Faculties of Agriculture. As regards the status of rare/disappearing knowledge in Agricultural/Biosystems Engineering studies in Italy, it is needed to focus especially on the following subjects: historical farm buildings and new purposes; agritourism; agricultural museums. In Italy several actions try to protect and revitalise the historical farm buildings and, therefore, create jobs and profit for the local community. The destiny of Italian old buildings mainly depends on the implementation of integrated rural development plans, taking into account the landscaping and environmental functions of farms. Converting historical farm buildings or houses into B&B lodges, farm hotels and restaurants generates a new farm activity called agritourism. In Italy, where more than 1600 farm resorts are available, incentives provided for agritourism have been successful in preventing the depopulation of the countryside. A historical farm building can be converted into an agricultural museum. More than 500 agricultural museums are available throughout Italy

Molecular characterization of human gastric mucosa by HR-MAS Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

The present study was aimed at identifying themolecular profile characteristic of the healthy humangastric mucosa.Ex vivo HR-MAS magnetic resonance spectroscopy performed at 9.4 Tesla (400.13 MHz for 1H) on gastric specimens collected during endoscopy, permits the identification of more than forty species giving a detailed picture of the biochemical pattern of the gastric tissues. These preliminary data will be used for a comparison with gastric preneoplastic and neoplastic situations. Moreover, the full knowledge of the biochemical pattern of the healthy gastrictissues is the necessary presupposition for the application of magnetic resonance spectroscopy directly in vivo

Ex vivo HR-MAS Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of human gastric adenocarcinomas: A comparison with healthy gastric mucosa

The present study reports the characteristics of the biochemical profile of human gastric adenocarcinoma in comparison with that of healthy gastric mucosa, using ex vivo HR-MAS Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Healthy human mucosa is mainly characterized by the presence of small metabolites (more than 50 identified) and macromolecules, whereas the adenocarcinoma spectra are dominated by the presence of signals due to triglycerides, whose content on the contrary is very low in healthy gastric mucosa. The use of spin-echo experiments enable us to detect some metabolites in the unhealthy tissues and to determine their variation with respect to the healthy ones. We have observed that the Cho:ChoCC ratio changes from 20:80 in the healthy tissues to 80:20 in the neoplastic gastric mucosa

Using the Neuroadaptagen KB200z to Ameliorate Terrifying, Lucid Nightmares in RDS Patients: the Role of Enhanced, Brain-Reward, Functional Connectivity and Dopaminergic Homeostasis.

BACKGROUND: Lucid Dreams are a form of dream life, during which the dreamer may be aware that he/she is dreaming, can stop/re-start the dreams, depending on the pleasantness or unpleasant nature of the dream, and experiences the dream as if he/she were fully awake. Depending on their content, they may be pleasant, un-pleasant or terrifying, at least in the context of patients, who also exhibit characteristics of Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). CASE SERIES: We present eight clinical cases, with known substance abuse, childhood abuse and diagnosed PTSD/RDS. The administration of a putative dopamine agonist, KB200Z, was associated with the elimination of unpleasant and/or terrifying, lucid dreams in 87.5% of the cases presented, whereas one very heavy cocaine abuser showed a minimal response. These results required the continuous use of this nutraceutical. The lucid dreams themselves were distinguishable from typical, PTSD nightmares insofar as their content did not appear to reflect a symbolic rendition of an originally-experienced, historical trauma. Each of the cases was diagnosed with a form of RDS, i.e., ADHD, ADD, and/or Tourette's syndrome. They all also suffered from some form of Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD) and other psychiatric diagnoses as well. CONCLUSION: The reduction or elimination of terrifying Lucid Dreams seemed to be dependent on KB220Z, whereby voluntary stopping of the agent results in reinstatement of the terrifying non-pleasant nature of the dreams. Following more required research on a much larger population we anticipate confirmation of these seemingly interesting observations. If these results in a small number of patients are indeed confirmed we may have found a frontline solution to a very perplexing and complicated symptom known as lucid dreams

Proof-of-Principle of a Brain-Computer Interface approach to support post-stroke arm rehabilitation in hospitalized patients: design, acceptability and usability

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of brain-computer interface (BCI)-assisted motor imagery training to support hand/arm motor rehabilitation after stroke during hospitalization. Design Proof-of-principle study. Setting Neurorehabilitation hospital. Participants Convenience sample of patients (N=8) with new-onset arm plegia or paresis caused by unilateral stroke. Interventions The BCI-based intervention was administered as an "add-on" to usual care and lasted 4 weeks. Under the supervision of a therapist, patients were asked to practice motor imagery of their affected hand and received as a discrete feedback the movements of a "virtual" hand superimposed on their own. Such a BCI-based device was installed in a rehabilitation hospital ward. Main Outcome Measures Following a user-centered design, we assessed system usability in terms of motivation, satisfaction (by means of visual analog scales), and workload (National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index). The usability of the BCI-based system was also evaluated by 15 therapists who participated in a focus group. Results All patients successfully accomplished the BCI training. Significant positive correlations were found between satisfaction and motivation (P=.001, r=.393). BCI performance correlated with interest (P=.027, r=.257) and motivation (P=.012, r=.289). During the focus group, professionals positively acknowledged the opportunity offered by BCI-assisted training to measure patients' adherence to rehabilitation. Conclusions An ecological BCI-based device to assist motor imagery practice was found to be feasible as an add-on intervention and tolerable by patients who were exposed to the system in the rehabilitation environment. © 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine